CN107848722B - Method of loading a dunnage conversion machine and sheet raw material useful therein - Google Patents

Abstract

The feed of stock material for a dunnage conversion machine includes two layers of sheet stock material wound into a roll or fan-folded into a stack. Each layer has disposed on its respective front or rear end an adhesive layer and a removable release liner covering the adhesive layer. When coated on the leading end of the feed, adhesive layers are coated on the opposite outward surfaces of the respective layers. When the supply of stock material is nearly exhausted, the operator removes the release liner from both layers to expose the respective adhesive layers, then inserts the leading end of the new supply between the layers of the trailing end of the incoming exhausted supply, and laminates the layers together to connect the layers of the new supply to the respective layers of the incoming exhausted supply for conversion into dunnage.

Description

Method of loading dunnage converting machine and sheet material useful therein

technical field

The present invention relates to machines for converting sheet stock material into dunnage packaging products, and more particularly to a method, and the feeding of a dual layer stock feed that facilitates the continuation of new or subsequent feeds of stock material to the stock material will run out of feed.

Background technique

Dunnage converters convert sheet raw material from its feed to a relatively less dense dunnage product useful in packaging to protect articles in transit. Sheet stock is typically fed in rolls or fan-folded stacks in which it is paid off for conversion by the machine into dunnage products.

When the feed is used up, a new feed is loaded to replace the used feed and the front end of the new feed is inserted into the machine. Because it can be difficult to properly supply new feed, operators have learned to stop the machine before the back end of the sheet material enters the machine, and continue the front end of the new feed to the back end of the depleted feed . When the machine is running again, the rear end of the spent feed will pull the front end of the new feed into and through the machine.

Common splicing techniques include using one or more strips to attach the front end of the subsequent feed of raw material to the back end of the depleted feed of raw material, and spraying liquid adhesive on the end of the depleted feed. on the back end, and then press the front end of the subsequent feed against the adhesive covered back end.

Another technique is to pre-coat the front or back end of the feed with double-sided adhesive, with a removable cover, at the front of the subsequent feed of raw material to the end of the feed of raw material The removable cover can be removed by the operator before the rear end. This latter technique is described in commonly owned US Patent 6,756,096, which is hereby incorporated by reference. When this technique is used for multi-layer sheet stock, tape must be applied to each layer, and each layer must be attached to the corresponding layer in a specific order. For example, the removable cover is removed from the adhesive on the first layer, and the front and rear ends of the respective layers that are furthest from the operator are attached together. The removable cover is then removed from the adhesive on the second layer, and the next closest corresponding layers (relative to the operator) are attached together. This process is repeated until all layers are connected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved splicing method, particularly suitable for bilayer sheet stock material, and improved feeding of bilayer sheet stock material, both of which simplifies splicing subsequent or new feeds of bilayer stock material to a bilayer sheet The process of running out of raw materials.

According to the present invention, the feed of sheet stock material comprises sheet stock material that is rolled or folded into two layers in a compact configuration, such as a roll of wound material or a stack of fan-folded material. The front ends of the layers of the new feed are temporarily held together, and if on the front end of the new feed for each facing surface of each layer facing outward, or if on the rear end for each facing surface of each layer The opposite surfaces inside are pre-coated with adhesive. A removable cover or release liner typically covers the adhesive until ready for splicing. In use, the release liner is removed and the front ends of the new layers of feed, temporarily attached to each other, are placed between the rear ends of the layers of the feed to be used up, and by laminating the overlapping layers on Pin layers together easily without any ordering restrictions. In other words, no additional care, as required in existing methods and feeding of sheet stock material, is required to ensure that the correct layers of the various feeds are attached together in the correct order. The front ends of the newly fed layers may remain connected until pulled through the converter, which may separate the layers or allow the layers to remain connected.

More specifically, and generally interpreting the original claims, the present invention provides a feed of sheet stock material suitable for use in a dunnage converting machine, the feed comprising a first layer of sheet stock material and an overlapping layer of the first layer. The second layer of sheet material. Both the first layer and the second layer have an adhesive layer adjacent to one of the front or rear end of each layer. If proximate the front end, the adhesive layer is coated on the opposite outward facing surfaces of each layer; if proximate the rear end, the adhesive layer is applied on the respective inward facing surfaces of each layer.

The first and second layers may be attached to each other adjacent their respective front ends. For example, the first layer and the second layer may be secured together using an adhesive between the inward facing surfaces of the layers.

The first and second layers can be rolled or folded into a compact configuration. For example, the first and second layers may be rolled around a common core to form a roll of bilayer sheet stock. Alternatively, the first and second layers may be fan-folded to form a stack of two-layer sheet stock.

The first and second layers may comprise paper. The first and second layers may have substantially the same width dimension. The front end of the first layer may be aligned with the front end of the second layer.

The adhesive layer can be placed on the carrier and can be covered by a removable release liner. Adhesive layers may be adjacent to the front end of each layer. The adhesive layer may include a pressure sensitive adhesive and a removable release liner covering the pressure sensitive adhesive.

The adhesive layer may be applied substantially across the entire width of the at least one layer. The adhesive layer may have a substantially continuous length. The adhesive layer may have a major dimension extending parallel to the width dimension of the overlapping layers. The adhesive layer on the first layer can be aligned with the adhesive layer on the second layer.

The present invention also provides a method of converting the bilayer sheet raw material to a relatively lower density dunnage product. The method includes the steps of: (a) operating a dunnage converting machine to produce one or more dunnage products from a feed of sheet stock material having a first layer and a second layer until the feed of sheet stock stock is nearly exhausted , the feed is at the first layer, (b) moving the rear end of the second layer of the sheet stock material in the first layer so as to expose the rear end of the first layer of the sheet stock material in the first layer, (c) providing the first layer with the first layer layer and subsequent feed of a second layer of sheet stock material overlapping the first layer, (d) attaching the leading end of the first layer of the subsequent feed of sheet stock material to the front end of the preceding stock of sheet stock material The first layer, (e) replaces the rear end of the second layer of the subsequent feed of sheet raw material on the front end of the second layer of the subsequent feed of sheet raw material, so that the second layer of the subsequent feed of sheet raw material The layer is secured to the second layer of the previous feed of sheet stock material, and (f) the dunnage conversion machine is again operated to produce one or more dunnage products from the subsequent feed of sheet stock stock.

The attaching step may include removing the release liner covering the pressure sensitive adhesive layer and applying pressure to the sheet stock adjacent the adhesive layer.

The method further includes the step of joining the leading ends of the first and second layers of subsequent feeds of sheet stock material prior to the attaching step.

The foregoing and other features of the invention are fully described hereinafter and are particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the accompanying drawings detailing various illustrative embodiments of the invention, but these are merely indicative of the Some of the various ways of inventing the principles.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the feeding of sheet stock material in roll form and a dunnage converting machine according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of an alternative feed of sheet stock material in the form of a fan-folded stack.

Figure 3 is a schematic enlarged view of the leading end of the sheet stock material provided by the present invention.

Figures 4 to 6 are schematic illustrations of the sequence in which a rear end of a feed of sheet stock material to be used up is continued to a front end of a new feed of sheet stock stock according to the present invention.

Figures 7 to 9 are schematic illustrations of the sequence in which the rear end of an exhausted feed of sheet stock material is connected to the front end of a new feed of sheet stock stock according to an alternative provided by the present invention.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the front end of a feed of sheet stock material with two layers illustrating a method of joining the layers.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of portion 11 of FIG. 10 .

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the front end of a feed of sheet stock material with two layers illustrating an alternative method of joining the layers.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of portion 13 of FIG. 12 .

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the front end of a feed of sheet stock material with two layers illustrating an alternative method of joining the layers.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of portion 15 of FIG. 14 .

Figure 16 is a perspective view of the front end of a feed of sheet stock material with two layers illustrating an alternative method of joining the layers.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the front end of a feed of sheet stock material with two layers illustrating an alternative method of joining the layers.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of portion 18 of FIG. 17 .

Figure 19 is a perspective view of the front end of a feed of sheet stock material with two layers illustrating an alternative method of joining the layers.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of portion 20 of FIG. 19 .

Figure 21 is a top plan view of an exemplary dunnage conversion machine for use with the present invention.

Figure 22 is a side view of the dunnage conversion machine of Figure 21 shown in a horizontal manner, loaded with raw material, with the housing side walls removed for clarity of illustration.

Detailed ways

Referring now in detail to the drawings, beginning with FIGS. 1 to 3 , an illustrative dunnage converting machine is generally designated by the reference numeral 30 . As described further below, the converting machine 30 converts the sheet stock material 32 from its feed 34 or 43 to a relatively lower density dunnage product 36, such as a randomly crumpled paper dunnage product. The feeds 34 and 43 of sheet stock material include _two overlapping layers P1 and P2, typically joined together at the front end 40, and include _a layer of adhesive 42 that can be A new or subsequent feed 34 or 43 of sheet stock material (roll 44 in FIG. 1 ) is continued to a depleted feed 45 of sheet stock material. Extending from the machine 30 is a rear end 46 of the spent backup feed 45 longitudinally opposite the front end 40 .

In FIG. 1 , the dunnage converter 30 pulls the sheet stock 32 from the feed 34 and through the converter 30 in the downstream direction 50 from the upstream end 52 of the converter 30 . The converter 30 converts the raw material 32 to a relatively low density dunnage product 36 , such as by forming and randomly crumpling the sheet material, typically such that the converter 30 dispenses from the downstream end 54 opposite the upstream end 52 .

The feed of stock material 34 is typically supplied in a compact configuration, such as a roll of stock material 44 (FIG. 1) or a generally rectangular stack of fan-folded stock material 56 (FIG. 2). The raw material 32 includes _two layers _of P1 and P2 sheet material, or multiple layers of sheet material, where each layer typically includes paper, such as, for example, thirty pound basis weight kraft paper. Additionally, one or more layers may be made from another type of sheet material, such as plastic, or from a different type of paper, such as printed paper, bleached paper, fifty pound kraft paper, or a combination thereof. Layers _P1 and P2 are generally _coextensive , overlap each other, and have the same width and length. However, one layer may also be narrower than the other.

Feeds 34 and 43 of sheet stock material 32 shown in Figures ₁ and ₂ have a gap between overlapping layers P1 and P2 near front end 40 to indicate the presence of two layers, but when starting from feed 34 or 43 When the leading end 40 _of the sheet stock material 32 is pulled, the layers P1 and _P2 are generally parallel to each other. As described above, the two layers P ₁ and P ₂ of sheet stock material 32 provided by the present invention are joined and held together at their front ends 40 (indicated by "X" in Figure 3 ) so that stock materials 34 and 43 are easily assembled The new feed of s is continued to the depleted feed of raw material 45 that supplies the raw material 45 that passes through and is consumed by the converter 30 . Layers P1 and _P2 may be held together by any means, although generally only _a temporary connection is required, as layers P1 and _P2 typically follow separate paths within machine ₃₀ and thus will be converted by the operation of machine 30 separate.

The feeds 34 and 43 of sheet stock material 32 also include _a pre _- applied layer of adhesive 42 adjacent the front end 40 or back end 46 of each layer P1 and P2 to bind the new feed of stock material 34 or 43. _The front end 40 of each layer P1 and P2 _of material is attached to the rear end 46 of each layer P1 and _{P2 of} the raw material 45 that will be used up. Alternatively, the adhesive layer 42 may be applied _proximate the front end 40 of _one layer _P1 or P2, and adjacent the rear end 46 _of the other layer P2 or P1. Further, the adhesive layers 42 on the respective layers P ₁ and P ₂ may be longitudinally aligned, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , or offset, as shown at the leading end 40 in FIG. 2 . _The adhesive layer 42 is typically disposed at the same end 40 or 46 _of each layer P1 and P2, applied to the _outward facing surfaces 60, 62 _of layers P1 and P2 at the front end 40, or at the rear The ends 46 are coated onto the inward facing surfaces 64 , 66 . Two arrangements are shown in Figure 2, but generally only one is required.

The adhesive layer 42 is typically covered with a removable cover 70, sometimes referred to as a release liner, to protect the adhesive layer 42 until it is needed. Exemplary adhesives are pressure sensitive adhesives. Adhesive layer 42 and release liner 70 extend _laterally across the width _of layers P1 and P2. By removing the release liner 70 , such as by manually peeling it from the adhesive layer 42 , the leading end 40 of the stock material 32 may be spliced to, or more specifically adhered to, the rear end of the depleted feed of stock material 45 . The corresponding surface of the end 46, the raw material 45 extends from the upstream end 52 of the machine 30 of FIG.

The adhesive layer 42 may also be provided as a double-sided tape secured to the stock material 32 . As another alternative, _a cohesive may be applied to the outward _facing surfaces _of layers P1 and P2 _adjacent to the front end 40 _of layers P1 and P2, as well as to adjacent layers P1 and P Inward facing surface of rear end 46 of ₂ . Adhesives are similar to adhesives, but only adhere to other adhesives or surfaces to which the adhesive is coated. Therefore, only one inward facing surface requires a removable release liner. When the adhesive is applied to the outward facing surface, the layer of sheet stock material below or adjacent to the adhesive layer 42 may be used as a release liner, enabling clean and easy removal therefrom The adhesive layer 42 is removed.

The adhesive layer 42 may comprise a reduced strength adhesive, meaning a pressure sensitive adhesive, which enables the release liner 70 to be cleanly and easily removed from the adhesive layer 42 to expose the adhesive layer, which exposes The adhesive layer 42 is removably adhered to the sheet stock material 32. This allows the sheet stock material 32 to be wound, or stacked, on top of itself, ie, contacting the underlying layer of adjacent sheet stock stock 32 . Furthermore, this allows the sheet stock 32 to be repositioned when spliced. _The reduced strength adhesive provides sufficient bond retention and shear strength between successive layers P1 or _P2 to hold the leading end 40 and trailing end 46 together when subjected to longitudinal tension. An exemplary adhesive is the adhesive used for Highland ^™ brand post-it notes manufactured by 3M Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.

With this reduced strength adhesive, the leading end 40 of the layer P1 or _{P2 of} sheet material 32 can be repositioned as desired in order to obtain the leading end 40 of the layer P1 _of the sheet material 32 of the subsequent feed of raw material with the Proper alignment between rear ends 46 of layers P1 _of raw material to be used up. The adhesive layer 42 has sufficient shear strength and bond retention to maintain the continuation (ie, adhesively bond) the leading end 40 of a subsequent feed of raw material 34 to the front end of the raw material 32 as the raw material 32 advances through the converter 30. The back end 46 of the feed will be used up.

Optionally, the adhesive layer 42 may comprise an adhesive having retention and shear strength that provides a permanent bond (ie, non-removable) between the layers of sheet stock material when joined . In this case, the adjacent layers of sheet stock material, or at least a portion of the adjacent layers of stock material over which the adhesive layer 42 overlaps, would require surface treatment, such as by application to enable clean and easy removal from the overlapping portion Coating of the material of the adhesive layer 42; in other words, enabling the overlapping portion to behave like a release liner.

In order to connect the leading end 40 of the new feed of raw material 34 or 43 to the trailing end 46 of the incoming feed of raw material 45 , the leading end 40 of the sheet material 32 is removed from the new feed of raw material 34 or 43 (ie, , not wrapped or folded), and the outward _facing surfaces _of the respective layers P1 and P2 are continued to, or more specifically adhered to, the respective layers P1 and _{P2 of} the raw material 45 that will be used up in the feed The inward facing surface of the rear end 46 .

A method of employing the raw material 32 provided by the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 . In this sequence, the operator connects the rear ends 46 of the first and second layers P ₁ and P ₂ of the sheet stock material 45 protruding from the converting machine 30 ( FIG. 1 ) to the sheet stock stock material 43 to be used up. The front end 40 of the corresponding _first layer P1 and _second layer P2 of the new feed. _The front ends 40 of layers P1 and P2 _of the new feed 43 are joined together. In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 42 covered by the removable release liner 70 has been applied to the outward facing surface of the leading end 40 adjacent to each layer P ₁ and P ₂ of the new feedstock 43 . To continue layers P ₁ and P ₂ of new feed 43 to layers P ₁ and P ₂ of feed 45 to be used up, the operator would first lift a layer P ₁ or P of feed 45 to be used up ₂ - Usually the closest layer P ₁ leaves the path. The operator would then remove the release liner 70 from one of the adhesive layers 42 , typically the release liner 70 on the surface away from the operator, and the operator would remove the release liner 70 on the corresponding layer P ₁ of the feed 45 to be used up The rear end 46 presses the exposed adhesive layer 42 to the inward facing surface, joining the respective layers together. Because the front ends 40 of layers P1 and P2 _of the new feed 43 are also attached together, _both layers P1 and _{P2 of} the new feed 43 of raw material are now connected to the raw material 45 that will be used _One of the layers P1 of the exhausted feed. The operator then removes the release liner 70 from the other adhesive layer 42 and replaces the rear end 46 of the previously lifted layer P ₁ on the exposed adhesive layer 42 and presses the layers together.

An alternative method is shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 , which illustrates the respective case where the adhesive layer 42 is applied to the rear end 46 of the layers P ₁ and P ₂ of the raw material 43 . In this case, the adhesive layer 42 is applied on the inward facing surface of the rear end 46 of the stock material 32 , meaning that the depleted feed of stock material 45 would include the adhesive layer 42 . Once again, _one layer P1 is moved out of the way, the release liner 70 is removed from the other layer P2, and the new feed 43 is _sealed with the exposed adhesive layer 42 by pressing the overlapping layers together. _The front ends 40 _of layers P1 and _P2 are joined to the rear end 46 of layer P2. The other release liner 70 is then removed, by replacing another layer P1 _of the spent feed 45 on the front end 40 of the new feed 43 and pressing the layers together, the Another layer P ₁ is attached to the opposite face of the new feed of raw material 43 .

Because layers P1 and _P2 typically travel slightly different paths through converter 30 ( FIG. _{1 )} , the front ends 40 of layers P1 and P2 _of new feed 43 will generally be separated within converter 30 . Layers _P1 and _P2 can be connected in different ways. In FIGS. 10-20 , a layer of adhesive 42 is applied adjacent to the front ends 40 of layers P ₁ and P ₂ of sheet stock material 32 . However, the method of attaching the layers illustrated in these figures may be replaced with a tape distinct from the adhesive layer 42 . Additionally, _an adhesive layer 42 for connecting layers P1 and _{P2 of} the fresh feed 43 to layers P1 and _{P2 of} the feed 45 to be used up may be applied to layers P1 and _P2 The back end 46.

In Figures 10 and 11, the corners of the front ends 40 of _both layers P1 and P2 are folded so that the corner portions 90 _of the _first layer P1 overlies the corner portions (not shown) of the _second layer P2 out). Therefore, the outward facing surface of the _first layer P1 at the corners faces the opposite direction, which is the same direction as the outer surface of the _second layer P2. The folded corner portions 90 are then pressed down with a layer of tape 94 to hold the front ends 40 of the _first and _second layers P1 and P2 together. Other methods may be used to hold the folded corner portions 90 in place, such as adhesives, adhesives, fasteners such as staples, or perforated portions, such as those described below. The front ends 40 of the _first layer P1 and the _second layer P2 are not connected together in the middle portion, laterally, between the corner portions. The tape 94 may be a double-sided tape or may have a layer of adhesive disposed on or adjacent to the tape 94 for continuation to a layer of a feed (not shown) that will be used up.

Similarly, _one or more pairs of spaced-apart pairs may be formed through both layers P1 and P2 _on the side near the front end 40 (FIGS. 12 and 13) or at spaced locations in the front end 40 (FIGS. 14 and 15). of the incision. The parallel cuts form a pull tab 96 which is then folded over _on the outer surface of _one of the layers P1 or P2 and secured in place, such as with tape 94 or as described in connection with FIGS. 10 and 11 other technologies. Therefore, the otherwise outward facing surface of the _first layer P1 now faces in the opposite direction, as is the case with the corner portions 90 and 92 of FIGS. 10 and 11 . In FIGS. 14 and 15, the pull tabs 96 formed in the front ends 40 of the _first and _second layers P1 and P2 may be close to the corners or spaced inwardly from the corners, and may be closer to the layers _P1 and _P2 the center of the width of the front end 40 .

Another alternative is shown in FIG. 16 in which pull tabs 98 are cut from _both layers inwardly spaced from the edges _of layers P1 and P2. Continuous cuts through _both layers _P1 and _P2 form pull tabs 98 in each layer _P1 and P2. The pull tab 98 is then folded over the outer surface of one of the layers P ₁ or P ₂ , creating an opening in the layer P ₁ or P ₂ that is raised by the pull tab 98 . In other words, the pull tab 98 from the _first layer P1 is pushed through the opening 100 in the _second layer P2, over the pull tab formed in the _second layer P2, and on the outer surface of the _second layer P2 . The pull tab 98 is then secured in place, such as with tape 94 as shown. This technique can be used to conceal the pull tab 98 and opening 100, which is desirable in some applications. Although only one connecting pull tab 98 and opening 100 is shown in FIG. 16, additional pull tabs 98 may also be used to connect the front ends 40 of the _first and _second layers P1 and P2 together.

Layers P1 and P2 may also be joined together by _a layer of tape 94 applied on _both sides of opening 100, to the outward facing surfaces of _both layers P1 and P2, _a layer _of tape 94 on P1 _Tape 94 secured to another layer P2 through opening 100. This arrangement may be used in addition to the pull tab 98, such as in Figure 16, or in place of the pull tab 98, as shown in Figures 17-20. In Figures ₁₇ and ₁₈ , apertures 102 are made to penetrate overlapping layers P1 and P2 at spaced locations across the width _of the front ends 40 _of layers P1 and P2, and are applied to the direction _of layers P1 and _P2 . Portions of tape 94 of the outer surface are connected via holes 102 . An alternative hole arrangement is shown in FIGS. ₁₉ and ₂₀ in which elongated slots 104 cut through layers P1 and P2 form openings that allow opposing portions of tape 94 to be attached to each other through slots 104 . These grooves 104 may be formed close to the corners at the front ends 40 _of layers P1 and _P2 , or may be spaced inwardly from the corners. _In the example shown in Figures 17-20, tape 94 covers grooves 104 in layers P1 and _P2 , which may be desirable in some applications.

An exemplary dunnage converter 110 is shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 . The converter 110 includes a converter assembly, generally designated 112 , and generally has an upstream end 114 and a downstream end 116 . Raw material enters the conversion assembly 112 through the opening 118 at the upstream end 114 for passing through the conversion assembly 112 where it is converted into a strip of dunnage exiting the downstream end 116 of the conversion assembly 112 . This configuration is representative of any dunnage conversion machine, and the invention is not limited to the specific dunnage conversion machine shown and described.

The illustrated conversion assembly 112 includes a former or forming assembly 126 and a supply/connection assembly 128 that is powered (energized) by a feed motor 130, such as an electric motor, through a motion transmission assembly 132. Downstream of the feed/connect assembly, a cutting assembly 134 (eg, a cutting assembly) powered by a suitable mechanism, such as the illustrated motor and motion transmission assembly 136, is provided to remove the substantially continuous mat produced by the feed/connect assembly 128 Strips separate lengths or sections of litter product. Forming assembly 126, supply/connecting assembly 128, and cutting assembly 134 are mounted to or within housing 138 in a well-known manner. The operation of the converter 110 may also be controlled by a controller in a well-known manner. It will be apparent that other types of conversion assemblies can be used to convert sheet material into a strip of dunnage, and other types of cut-off assemblies can be used to separate discrete dunnage product portions from a strip of dunnage produced by the conversion assembly.

The illustrated forming assembly 126 includes a forming member 144 , such as a forming frame, and a converging forming groove 146 . Forming assembly 126 randomly crumples the sheet stock and causes inward rolling or folding of the transverse edges of the sheet stock to form a continuous strip of cushion having transverse pillow-like portions. The forming slot 146 includes longitudinally extending, laterally converging side walls 150 that are preferably curved or arcuate in cross-section. As the sheet stock passes through the forming chute 146, the side edges turn or roll inward toward each other such that the inwardly turned or rolled edges form portions of the resiliently pillow-creased stock as they emerge from the outlet end of the forming chute These parts are placed in a laterally adjoining relationship.

The forming member 144 cooperates with the forming slot 146 to randomly crumple the stock material while also shaping and forming the stock material, including guiding the central portion of the stock material along the bottom wall 154 of the forming slot 146 for the side edge portions of the stock material. Controllable inward scrolling or folding.

The illustrated feed/connect assembly 128 includes a pair of cooperating and opposing gears or gear-like members 160 and 162 . Gears 160 and 162 of feed/connect assembly 128 perform two functions in the operation of machine 110 . One function is the "feed" function, where gears pull raw material from a feed of raw material and then through the forming assembly 126 . The raw material is then discharged to the cut-off assembly 134 through the feed/connect assembly 128 . The second function that the supply/connection component 128 can perform is the connection function. Specifically, the feed/connect assembly 128 connects overlapping layers of stock material along a central belt, passing between two opposing gears 160 and 162 to form a connected strip. Other mechanisms may be used to "join" the strip, ie, operate on the strip in a way that retains its shape rather than returning it to its original flat form of raw material. Known attachment mechanisms include those that crumple the stock material so that the stock material retains its three-dimensional shape, and those that "perforate" the pull tab through the overlapping layers in order to hold the layers together.

The connected strip travels downstream from the feed/connect assembly 128 to a cut-off assembly 134, which, for example, cuts the strip into sections of desired length by cutting.

Referring now to the upstream end 114 of the converter 110 , the raw material is supplied from the raw material feed assembly 166 to the converter 110 . The illustrated stock feed assembly includes a pair of C-shaped laterally spaced mounting brackets 170 secured to the conversion assembly 112 . When the rolled stock is used in the converter 110, the lower struts of the brackets 170 have journaled the stock feed roll 172 between its ends. When fan-folded stock material (FIG. 3) is used in machine 110, lower struts are not necessary. The upper struts of the bracket 170 have pivoted between their ends fixed entry rollers 174 which provide a constant entry point for the sheet stock material from the feed. The bracket 170 also supports therebetween a separation device 180 that receives sheet stock from a fixed entry roll 174 and passes through laterally extending separator members 182 and 184 before passing under the forming member 144 and into the forming slot 146 Separate the _two layers _P1 and P2 from each other. As the connected front ends of the layers pass through the separation device before entering the conversion assembly, the separation device ₁₈₀ will separate the layers P1 and _P2 so that each layer can be crumpled independently during the conversion process.

As described above, when the rear end of a layer of raw material to be used up is held, the front end of a subsequently fed layer of raw material may be continued to the rear end. In order to detect that the feed of raw material is approaching its depleted or depleted condition, the end of the web detector can be included upstream of the conversion assembly to detect a layer before the rear end of the raw material is pulled into the conversion machine or Multilayer backend.

In summary, in FIG. 1 , the next or subsequent feed of raw material 34 or 43 ( FIG. 2 ) is in a position for continuing the exhausted or depleted feed of raw material 45 , at the Upstream end 52 shows layers P ₁ and P ₂ of raw material 45 . In order to continue the subsequent feed of raw material 34 or 43 to the depleted feed of raw material 45 , the liner 70 is released from the adhesive layers 42 of the respective layers P ₁ and P ₂ of the new feed of raw material 34 or 43 . , and the adhesive layer 42 is applied to the inner surface of the rear end 46 of the layers P1 and _{P2 of} the raw material 45 to be used up. Both liners 70 may be released before the adhesive layer 42 is applied to each rear end 46 of the raw material 45 that will be used up in the feed, or alternatively, each time the liners 70 are released, the other liners may be released The respective adhesive layers 42 are applied to the appropriate layers P ₁ and P ₂ prior to the pad 70 .

Accordingly, the present invention provides a feed of raw materials 34 and 43 for dunnage conversion machine 30 comprising sheets of two layers P ₁ and P ₂ wound into roll 44 or fan-folded into stack 56 ( FIG. 2 ) Material raw material 32. Layers P1 and P2 may be attached together at the front end 40 and each layer P1 and _P2 has _an adhesive layer 42 and _a cover adhesive layer 42 disposed _on the respective front end 40 or rear end 46 The removable release liner 70. When applied to the front end 40 of the feed ₃₄ or 43, the adhesive layer 42 is applied to the opposing, outward facing surfaces _of the respective layers P1 and P2. When the feed of raw material 34 is nearly depleted, the operator removes the release liner 70 from _both layers P1 and P2 in order to expose the respective adhesive layers 42, and then _replaces the new feed 34 or 43 with the release liner 70. _The front end 40 is inserted between the layers P1 and P2 at the rear end 46 of the layer _of the feed 45 to be used up and presses the layers together to press the layers P1 and P _of the new feed 34 or 43 ₂ is attached to the various layers P ₁ and P ₂ of the feedstock 45 to be used up for conversion to dunnage 36 .

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, equivalent changes and modifications will readily occur to others skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. Especially with respect to the various functions performed by the above-mentioned integers (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, the terms used to describe such integers (including references to "mechanisms") are intended to correspond to performing Any integer (ie, functionally equivalent) that specifies the function of the stated integer, even if it is not structurally equivalent to a disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary embodiments of the invention shown herein. Furthermore, although specific features of the invention may be described above with reference to only one of the various illustrated embodiments, these features may be combined with one or more other features of other Applications are desirable and advantageous.

Claims (16)

1. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material suitable for use in a dunnage conversion machine, comprising:

a first layer of sheet stock material, and

a second ply of raw stock material overlapping the first ply,

wherein both the first layer and the second layer have an adhesive layer adjacent one of a leading end or a trailing end of each layer, the adhesive layers being coated on opposing outward surfaces of the respective layers if adjacent the leading end; and if, adjacent to the rear end, the adhesive layer is coated on the inwardly facing surface of the respective layer,

wherein the first and second layers are secured together adjacent their respective front ends with adhesive between the inwardly facing surfaces of the layers.

2. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the first and second layers are rolled or folded into a compact configuration.

3. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the first and second layers are rolled about a common core to form a roll of bi-layer sheet stock material.

4. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the first and second layers are fan folded to form a stack of two-ply sheet stock material.

5. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the first layer and the second layer comprise paper.

6. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer is disposed on a carrier and covered by a removable release liner.

7. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer is adjacent to the front end of each layer.

8. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer includes a pressure sensitive adhesive and a removable release liner covering the pressure sensitive adhesive.

9. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer is coated across substantially the entire width of at least one layer.

10. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the first layer and the second layer have substantially the same width dimension.

11. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer has a substantially continuous length.

12. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer has a major dimension extending parallel to a width dimension of the overlapping layers.

13. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the adhesive layer on the first layer is aligned with the adhesive layer on the second layer.

14. A feed of two-ply sheet stock material as recited in claim 1,

the front end of the first layer is aligned with the front end of the second layer.

15. A method of converting a two-ply sheet stock material as defined in any of claims 1 to 14 into a relatively lower density dunnage product, the method comprising the steps of:

operating a dunnage conversion machine to produce one or more dunnage products from a feed of sheet stock material having a first layer and a second layer until the feed of sheet stock material is nearly exhausted, the feed being a prior feed;

moving a trailing end of the second layer of the prior feed of sheet stock material to expose a trailing end of the first layer of the prior feed of sheet stock material;

providing a subsequent feed of two-ply sheet stock material having a first ply and a second ply overlapping the first ply;

attaching a leading end of the first layer of the subsequent feed of sheet stock material to the first layer of the prior feed of sheet stock material;

replacing the trailing end of the second layer of the prior feed of sheet stock material on the leading end of the second layer of the subsequent feed of sheet stock material to secure the second layer of the subsequent feed of sheet stock material to the second layer of the prior feed of sheet stock material;

re-operating the dunnage conversion machine to produce one or more dunnage products from the subsequent feed of sheet stock material, an

Connecting leading ends of the first and second layers of the subsequent feed of sheet stock material prior to the attaching step.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein,

the attaching step includes removing a release liner covering a pressure sensitive adhesive layer and applying pressure to the sheet stock material adjacent the adhesive layer.

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